


A Light In The Darkness

by Doylebaby



Category: actor rps
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-16
Updated: 2013-03-16
Packaged: 2017-12-05 11:42:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/722891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doylebaby/pseuds/Doylebaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sean and Orlando meet under difficult circumstances.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Light In The Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> This is all made up, a figment of my vivid imagination. There's no intention to offend anyone.

[ ](http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/Doylebaby/?action=view&current=aff184db.jpg)

**A Light In The Darkness**

_British Embassy – Kabul_

 

It was ten past ten in the morning as Liv put a fresh cup of coffee on Sean’s desk. He thanked her absently, checking the papers he had just received in the mail.

Sean wiped his brow, looking a little crossly at the malfunctioning air-conditioner and sighed; he would never get used to the heat.  
He was really looking forward to his holiday in ten days time. England with its rain and cool temperatures was becoming quite the oasis in his mind. 

_“Sir?”_ Liv’s voice came over the intercom. _“Your ten thirty appointment is waiting downstairs, do you want me to pick him up?”_

Sean put the papers he had been reading into a file before pressing the reply button. “I will get him myself, Liv, I want to find out if the air-conditioning is doing a better job anywhere else in the building.”

 _“Of course, sir,”_ she said and Sean could hear the smile in her voice.

~ * ~ 

Sean walked into the reception area, nodding at Omar who had desk duty today, and noticed it was much cooler down here. He walked over to the middle-aged man pacing up and down while he waited for Sean to appear and greeted him warmly.

“Good morning, Mr Zahid. Your papers are ready, please follow me.” Sean started walking back to the lift.

“Mister Bean, please wait?” 

When Sean turned to him, his eyebrows raised in question, he noticed the man hadn’t followed him. “Yes?” he asked, a little confused at the man’s seeming reluctance. 

A swift hand movement followed, then there was a bright fireball and a loud explosion and Sean felt himself being thrown backwards through the air.

His body landed in a crumpled heap against what had been the reception desk only moments before, then time stopped and the world went black.

~ * ~ 

Pain.

So overwhelming it sent him right back into oblivion.

 

The second time he came to, it was fear that stopped his breath – made him choke before he inhaled again.

The silence was even more terrifying, that and the total darkness.

Blind panic took hold of him.

“Help? Please…” 

Sean didn’t know whether his words were screamed or only a sound in his head, but the silence remained.

~ * ~ 

The third time that Sean regained consciousness things were different.

Noise. 

Screams and shouting.

He could sense the panic and his fear returned because there was still darkness.

He startled at a sudden touch to his face.

“Easy, easy, just try to calm down, you’re safe,” a soft male voice soothed Sean, while a strong hand exerted a light pressure on his chest to keep him from moving.

Sean lifted his hand to wipe at his eyes, but again a hand stopped him. “Try to stay still, sir, you're hurt and we're trying to get you to hospital as soon as possible,” the voice patiently explained to him.

His eyes were burning and he just wanted to see, to find out… Then the pain hit him full force and he couldn't hold back a low moan. “What… what happened?” He gasped when he could finally force the words out, shocked at how much effort it took him to speak.

The hands that had been busy skimming over his body, assessing his injuries, stilled and his own hand was taken in a gentle grasp. 

“There was a bomb… You were quite close,” the man told him, the compassion evident in his voice.

Sean squeezed the hand holding his as memories flooded back. “My… Liv? Is she… is she alright… and Omar?”

A thumb rubbed the back of his hand and the slight movement felt strangely comforting. “Your wife? Was she in the building?” the voice enquired.

Sean shook his head and then gasped at the pain this caused him. “My secretary… two floors up and Omar… at the desk…” His sentences came in short bursts, every word draining his energy.

“Shh, don’t talk. We’re getting to everyone in the building, but most of the damage is down here. There’s hope, sir-” 

“Sean… my name is Sean.” He clung to the hand still holding his, a lifeline in the chaos surrounding him. 

A hand brushed the sticky strands of hair from his forehead. “Hey Sean, I’m Orlando. I’m just going to check for any hidden injuries you might have and make sure you're all right to transport, okay?”

Sean moved his head, hoping he was nodding, too tired to speak. He heard someone murmuring in the background and the man beside him replying quietly before applying a stethoscope to Sean’s chest. 

“Eric, where’s that collar!” Orlando yelled suddenly.

There were running footsteps and he felt another presence beside him. “The structure is getting more unstable, we have to get him out of here fast, Orlando.”

Sean winced as different hands applied the collar around his neck, his head hurt something fierce and he blinked his eyes but there was still only darkness and he lifted his hand again to find out what was wrong. 

“There's a bandage over your eyes, Sean,” Orlando told him, catching his hand again. 

An ominous rumbling sounded and Sean felt the floor beneath him shake and someone shouted that they needed to get out of the building! 

“There’s no more time, Orlando, if it all comes down it won’t matter how stable he is,” a voice said gruffly close by.

“Yeah, yeah, just get me a stretcher.” Orlando muttered and Sean felt Orlando put something on his stomach and only now he realized his shirt was gone. He started to shake as he imagined what the blast must have done to his body.

“We need to move him now, he’s going into shock!” Orlando shouted. 

Sean felt himself being lifted and an excruciating pain tore through his body ripping consciousness away from him. 

 

“Thank God for small mercies,” Orlando murmured before lifting the stretcher up. “Let’s go guys!”

~ * ~ 

Sean sat in a rocking chair on his porch, it was a little cool, but after the ongoing heat in Afghanistan, he was happy that temperatures at home were a little on the cold side.

“Can I get you something, Sean?” His cousin Dominic asked him.

“No… thank you,” Sean said flatly. 

Shaking his head sadly, Dominic walked back inside, intending to prepare lunch anyway; he made a detour to the front door when the bell rang, hoping for some distraction for Sean.

~ * ~ 

After the bomb attack it had taken weeks before Sean was well enough to be flown out of Kabul and back to London.

 

The first few days he was floating between life and death, but once the critical point had been passed, he recovered remarkably fast for someone so severely wounded.

Although certain wounds would never heal. 

He vaguely remembered while hovering on the verge of consciousness that there was always a strong hand holding his before he drifted back into blessed oblivion when the pain was too much to bear.

A hand and a voice that had kept him sane, encouraging him to hang on once he had learned the awful truth.

His eyesight would never return.

And Orlando had been the light in his darkest hours. 

How he had managed to be there whenever Sean needed him or why, Sean had never asked, he just knew he wouldn’t have made it without Orlando there.

 

Coming to terms with his blindness was still a struggle, and now, without Orlando to keep him going, Sean had slipped into a depression.

Of course he had friends and family like Dominic, who looked after him, but he didn’t want to be looked after. 

As soon as his strength returned he wanted to go back to the job he loved, but he was informed – with the utmost respect, that there was no chance of going back to Kabul. Safety regulations apparently required perfect eyesight, something he no longer possessed, and that made him more a hindrance then a valuable asset to the Embassy. 

More importantly however was the fact he wouldn’t be able to see Orlando again.

Sean barked out a laugh so bitter that it made Dominic in the house wince at the sound and look at the visitor in something close to despair.

 _See!_ As if he would ever see anyone again, least of all Orlando.

Angrily Sean pushed himself to his feet and turned to go inside, tripping over his cane before he could grab it. Cursing, he felt himself falling, but before he hit the deck he was caught and held in strong arms.

“I see you’re still as steady on your feet as ever,” an amused, familiar voice told Sean. 

His heart racing, from the ‘almost’ fall as well as hearing that well-loved voice again, Sean was unable to find a retort immediately.

Assisted back into his chair because his legs were suddenly far too shaky to hold him up he made a snorting sound. “Hah! You’ve never seen me walk!”

“Well there you go. You could have been a stumbling fool even before I met you!” Was the triumphant reply.

Sean snorted, then chuckled and ended up roaring with laughter. 

“You’re not even here for what… five minutes?” Sean gasped when he had his breath back. “And you have me laughing for the first time since I arrived home.”

His face sobered and he reached out, searching for and finding that longed for hand. It took hold of his own, squeezing it firmly, and Sean held on tight.

“How?” he whispered suddenly overcome by emotions.

“Miss Tyler is quite a force to be reckoned with,” Orlando chuckled and Sean could hear a chair being dragged closer.

“Liv?” Sean asked in surprise. “She visited me a couple of times… right before she went back as well. I was a little… out of sorts,” Sean admitted, raising his head, his blind gaze on where he suspected Orlando to be. “Omar, didn’t make it,” he murmured sadly.

Another squeeze. “I know,” Orlando’s compassion was clear in his voice.

They both sat in silence for a while, remembering the victims of this senseless act, Orlando’s thumb rubbing the back of Sean’s hand, offering comfort. 

“So what did Liv do to get you here?” Sean finally asked curiously.

There was another chuckle. “She visited my boss, showed him my leave papers and told him I was needed in Britain.”

Sean raised his eyebrows. “And he gave you permission just like that?”

Orlando’s other hand moved on top of Sean’s. “Eric left it up to me. I decided I wanted to come home.”

Sean took a deep steadying breath, unable to quell feelings of hope. “Why?” he murmured huskily.

 

Before Orlando could answer, the screen door opened and then Sean heard it fall shut with a small bang. 

“I’ve brought some fresh coffee and tea,” Dominic said as he put a tray down on the table. “And I’ve made a plate of sandwiches, after all that talking you two must be hungry.”

At first annoyed at the interruption, Sean now smiled gratefully. “Thanks Dom, I’m actually quite hungry.”

Dom ruffled Sean’s hair. “Glad to hear it, man.” He was about to get back inside and Sean heard the door squeak.

“Aren’t you having lunch with us?” he called after his cousin.

“I’ve already had a couple of sandwiches. I’m going to get the groceries now that you have company,” Dom explained. “You’re staying for tea?” he asked Orlando.

Sean held Orlando’s hand in a tighter grip, not wanting him to consider leaving. 

“I’d like that, thank you,” Orlando told Dom and Sean couldn’t help the small sigh of relief that escaped his lips.

They ate while talking softly. Orlando pouring coffee and tea, quietly directing Sean’s hand so he knew where to reach or evade, not making a big production out of it. 

“So what will you do, now that you can’t return to Kabul?” Orlando asked him, genuinely interested. 

Sean shrugged. His mind hadn’t been able to get past the depressing thought of being unable to do his former job so he'd never considered what he wanted to do instead. “I feel useless. I can’t do anything without help, but I don’t want to depend on other people. I’ve always been perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don’t need anyone to take care of me,” the last words were said fiercely. 

“That’s a load of bullshit,” Orlando declared without preamble. “You need time to adjust to a new situation and you need help to do the adjusting. You have been through a traumatising experience. Even if you hadn’t lost your eyesight you would need help coming to terms with it.”

Sean opened his mouth to deny it, but closed it when Orlando’s hand found his again. “You have to let someone help you, Sean.”

Sean shook his head, trying to pull his hand out of Orlando’s grip. “What’s the use? I'll never be able to see again, be independent again. I can’t even see _you_!” 

Orlando let go of Sean’s hand and Sean feared the other man was going to leave because he had lost his patience. “Don’t-” he closed his mouth when he felt his legs being pushed apart. Then a body settled between them and he realised Orlando was kneeling in front of him. His hands were taken and placed on Orlando’s face.

“Then see me,” Orlando encouraged him huskily. 

Taking a deep breath, Sean let his fingertips travel to the top of Orlando’s head, feeling long soft curls gliding through his fingers. “What colour is your hair?”

“It’s brown, dark brown,” Orlando replied.

Next Sean’s fingers touched smooth skin, a high forehead, prominent cheekbones and a bit of a bumpy nose. “And your eyes?”

“They're brown too and I’ve broken my nose once.”

A small moustache and a little fuzz on the chin, thin lips together with a strong jaw and Sean had a good idea what the man kneeling in front of him looked like. 

“Thank you,” he murmured as his thumb traced the soft lips once again, reluctant to stop touching. He felt the lips purse against his thumb and a kiss followed.

“Let me help you, Sean?” Orlando asked quietly, his hand grabbing Sean’s, pressing the palm against his mouth, bestowing a kiss there too. “Let me be there for you?”

Unable to take in what Orlando was offering, Sean knew he needed the words. “Why?” he choked out.

Orlando raised up on his knees and framed Sean’s face with his hands. “Because I love you and I want to be with you, good days and bad. You still have a long way to go, Sean, but I want to be there with you all the way.”

Then he pulled Sean close and kissed him and Sean clung to him, needing Orlando’s strength until he’d find his own again.

The End 


End file.
